You are hereInternational
International
Your Coachability is Important in Successfully Navigating Organizational Change
“It’s how you cope with the imperfect matches that makes you great.”
Kim Clijsters (1983 –) Belgian Professional Tennis Player, Two-Time U.S. Open Champion
You don’t know everything. You do know that, don’t you?
Executing Strategic Change: Transitioning From the Class Room to the Board Room
"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary."
Thomas Carruthers, (1820 – 1875), English artist and explorer of British colonial southern Africa and Australia
A bittersweet but true quote.
The summer quarter offering of ‘Executing Strategic Change’ ended last week. So, as I transition my musings from our small intensive community back to this larger community, I will share what I communicated to the class during our final wrap-up.
Wishing my students continued success in their current and future roles.
Sandy’s Ten
Leave Unsaid the Wrong Thing at The Tempting Moment During Organizational Change
Laughing Your Way to the Bank During Organizational Change
from a great post by Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the virtue of humor.
Three Questions to Assess Your Change Readiness
"The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes." Marcel Proust, French Novelist (1871-1922)
Seeking a Change Management/OD Consultant for 3-Month IT Capability Diagnostic for a Global Firm in Downtown Chicago
Ability is of little account without opportunity. -Napoleon
Beyond Organizational Change to World Change
"Women hold up half the sky."
Chinese proverb
Impact of Holding Your Breath During Organizational Change
"Resisting change is like holding your breath, if you persist, you die."
Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism
Any change effort is likely to face a few change resisters. Unfortunately, even if these resisters are few, they can quickly erode momentum and stop change in its tracks.
Action
"To Get What You Want Don't Go With Your Gut." Wait...What?!
"Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge."
Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal, 1452 - 1519
When a person shouts at you, your gut reaction may be to yell right back. This is one situation when following your gut may not be such a good idea, and may result in a damaged relationship. Instead, try responding to the desired outcome.
NO: Event - Reaction - Outcome
YES: Event - Outcome - Reaction
Action
When an unsettling event occurs:
- Pause.
- Ask yourself
: what is the outcome I want? Instead of reacting to the event, act in alignment with your desired outcome.
Enjoy this great article by Peter Bregman.
Boost Performance By Doing Good
"Devising and maintaining an atmosphere in which others can put a dent in the universe is the leader's creative act." --Warren Bennis
Can doing good keep employees engaged and grow your business? You bet it can.
Ramping up altruism may well be the killer app in 2009 and early 2010 — a time when companies need their top talent to be firing on all cylinders to spur growth and renewal, but where conventional rewards such as pay raises and bonuses are hard to come by, according to Sylvia Ann Hewitt in her forthcoming book Top Talent: Keeping Performance Up When Business Is Down.
Hewitt is an economist, member of the World Economic Forum Council on the Gender Gap, and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy where she directs the "Hidden Brain Drain"—a task force of 50 global companies committed to fully realizing female and multicultural talent.
Her research shows that high-potential employees are motivated by a desire to give back to their communities. These employees are increasingly seeking out employers that allow them to do so on the job. Real life examples and the associated returns? By integrating "doing good" into their business strategies, GE's healthyimagination and Pfizer's Global Access programs are expanding company revenue and attracting and retaining these key employees.
Weaving the 'feel good' factor into a go-to-market playbook gives high potential employees priceless psychic rewards, and a reason to stay, play and win, says Hewitt. This approach is certainly working for Ponni Subbiah — one of Pfizer's most talented female leaders. "We all want to feel that we can have an impact on the world. That's why I like Global Access. The fact that we're going to increase access to our medicines in a part of the world where people are very needy .... that's very gratifying for me." And it's good business.
Action
While donations and volunteering are wonderful avenues for allowing your employees to give back, do not limit your company's socially responsible efforts. Explore ways that your company can combine social responsibility and commercial viability by offering lower cost products to emerging markets or developing a new profitable solution to a social problem.
Adapted from Harvard Business Publishing
